Discussion and study of Original, Classic, and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and (occasionally) other old-school rpgs

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Brave Halfling's Old School Gaming Boxes

Many of you will probably be aware that several months ago, Brave Halfling Publishing announced the release of old school gaming boxes, which are simply nice boxes with art by old school luminary artists Erol Otus and Pete Mullen. I ordered one of these boxes, before the Pete Mullen design was announced. BHP had some printing issues with the original run, which led to delays in the release of quite some time. John from BHP was excellent with communications through this, and offered either a refund, or a second box at no charge, to make up for the delay. I opted for a second box, because really, who can't use another box? So, after what seemed like forever, I got a package in the mail yesterday.

Imagine my surprise when not only did I get a second box, but the second box was of the Pete Mullen design! Bonus!

So I thought I'd show you what all fits in one of these boxes, and give you my thoughts.
First things first: the photos.

I am saving the Pete Mullen box for the reprints of my AD&D books next month. But there you can see what I put in my Otus box: Moldvay Basic, Moldvay/Cook Expert, the B/X Companion,the Companion Expansion from Barrataria Games, a copy of Holmes BD&D that I had bound together with Delve's Holmes Treasury, B2, X1, and CM1, plus all of the catalogues and surveys from the B/X boxed sets, and three sets of old skool dice, as well as a DM screen that I put together from files that were posted somewhere online years ago--I forget where. Essentially, this box holds everything you could want for a B/X/C D&D game, and has allowedme to put aside my B/X boxes to keep them from getting dented up.

Now, my only gripe about these boxes comes in the fact that you can put so much into them. You see, I was hoping just for a box with which to build a Companion set to match my B/X sets. These boxes, I had hoped, would be the same dimensions as other old school boxed sets. I was a little disappointed that they are so deep. However, that being said, their utility is obvious. A neat addition for collectors looking to put together a nifty boxed set for their own use. Overall I'm quite pleased with my purchase, though I'd like to see John offer a shallower edition along the same dimensions as the original basic and expert boxes. A rousing two thumbs up from this happy elf!